Filter for ignition distributor



Aug. 15, E967 LUJULIAN ET AL 3,336,457

FILTER FOR IGNITION DISTRIBUTOR Filed Oct. 1, 1965 w M y ://0

INVENTORS Roar? 5 you?? Y V1 V 731% IR IQTTURNEY 3,336,457 FILTER FOR IGNITION DISTRIBUTOR Clarence L. Julian, Daleville, and Robert E. Young,

Anderson, Ind., assignors to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 1, 1965, Ser. No. 491,965 6 Claims. (Cl. 200168) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In a preferred form the present invention relates to filtering means and vent means adapted to be mounted on distributor caps of common design to allow for free air communication therethrough without any contaminants reaching the operative portions of the distributor.

This invention relates to internal combustion engine distributors and more particularly to ventilating apparatus therefor.

Years of experience on ignition distributors has proved that ventilation for the high voltage compartment must be provided in order to minimize corrosion between contact surfaces. When ventilation is not controlled to a distributor, dust and other foreign material comes into contact with moving parts, such as rubbing blocks, cams, and moving contacts. This grit and dirt has a deleterious effect on the life of these moving parts and must be excluded from the interior of the distributor to prevent frequent maintenance and replacement of parts.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a ventilating means for an ignition distributor that filters out foreign material.

It is another object of the present'invention to provide an improved ventilating and filtering means for an ignition distributor that is adaptable for use on distributors of common design.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an improved ventilating and filtering device for an ignition distributor that allows entry of the ventilating fluid from remote points in the distributor to where the ventilation is required while preventing the ventilating fluid from hindering proper operation of apparatus that requires no ventilation.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein preferred embodiments of the present invention are clearly shown.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a sectional view of dilferent ventilating means operatively positioned on the distributor having parts broken away;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken along line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view of another embodiment of a distributor ventilator and filter mounted at the base of a typical ignition distributor;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along line 44 of FIGURE 3.

Referring to FIGURE 1, a distributor casing is mounted on a distributor housing 12 which contains the driving portion of the distributor. Numeral 14 designates a distributor governor typically mounted in housing 12 with drive shaft 16 passing therethrough. Shaft 16 carries cam 18 which acts against breaker points 20 in a conventional manner to provide the sequencing of the ignition spark. Centrifugal advance apparatus 22 is mounted on drive shaft 16 and carries rotor mechanism 24 which distributes high voltage from a coil terminal 26 to spark plug terminal 28. The area in casing 10 adjacent the rotary United States Patent O as a post 32 formed in the top mechanism 24 and terminals 26 and 28 is referred to as the high voltage area in this specification.

Compartment 30 in casing 10 is common to the high voltage area and, therefore, a ventilating fluid freely communicates to all areas in compartment 30. The high voltage area requires ventilation and it is clear then that ventilating air flows around cam 18, breaker points 20 and the centrifugal advance apparatus 22. These moving and bearing surfaces require cleanliness for their continued operation so the need for the present invention becomes apparent.

One embodiment of the present invention is illustrated wall of casing 10 having an aperture 34 leading into the high voltage area and ultimately compartment 30. A cupshaped member 36 is provided which encompasses aperture 34 and itself includes apertures 38 to allow atmospheric air to be communicated to porous means 40. Porous means 40 is a filter and can be composed of any well-known filter material, such as polyurethane. Downwardly projecting legs 42 are spaced as shown in FIGURE 2 and are fixed to cup-shaped ,member 36. Spaces 44 between legs 42 allow fluid that is communicated through porous means 40 to enter compartment 30. Hooked ends 46 pass through apertures 34 and grip the inside edge thereof to prevent the casual withdrawal of cup-shaped member 36.

In this embodiment described, the atmospheric air enters apertures 38, passes through porous means 40, through spaces 44, into aperture 34 and into the high voltage area of compartment 30. Solid particles carried in the air are trapped in porous means 40 and only filtered air is allowed to enter compartment 30, thereby minimizing corrosion of the high voltage mechanism and yet not contaminating moving parts therein so as to produce the useful life thereof.

Another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGURE 1 wherein an opening is provided into compartment 30 from the housing of the distributor. In the embodiment shown in FIGURE 1, entry is gained past governor 14 by the provision of passage 48. Passage 48 communicates freely with compartment 30 and, consequently, with the high voltage area which requires ventilation. Porous material 50 completely fills passage 48 and is held against flange 52 integrally formed with housing 12 by plate 54. Plate 54 has a series of apertures 56 arranged to admit atmospheric air to porous material 50. Dirt and other foreign particles are caught in the porous material 50 and only filtered air is allowed to enter passage 48.

Referring to FIGURE 3, another design distributor is shown wherein no governor is positioned in housing 12 and, consequently, passage 58 directly communicates atmospheric air into compartment 30 from outside the distributor. A substantially circular cup-shaped member 60 circumferentially disposed with respect to the drive shaft is mounted on the bottom of housing 12. Randomly positioned apertures 62 allow atmospheric air to enter the interior portion of the circular member 60 wherein porous material 64 is held. Porous material 64 is of the same general shape as member 60 and serves to filter air entering compartment 30 through a series of apertures 62. Referring to FIGURE 4, the general shape of circular member 60 is seen and it is evident that any number of passages 58 can be provided which allow adequate ventilation of the high voltage area.

The subject invention finds utility in ignition distributors of common design which are constructed so that the casing of distributor cap is airtight with respect to the distributor housing. This is important to insure that a casual passage of air through unsealed areas does not contaminate the filtered air provided for the high voltage area by the subject invention. The material of the filter, herein stated to be porous, must necessarily be porous enough to allow the free or relatively free passage of air from the atmosphere into the interior of the distributor cap. It is understood that it would be within the spirit of the present invention, if desired in a given installation, to provide a filter material considerably more dense if positive air pressure could be provided for the ingress of atmospheric air. Such a design would be appropriate with many types of emission control systems, such as the oxidation type wherein an air pump is already present on the automobile or other type vehicle to force air under pressure into the exhaust system. If air under pressure were admitted to the distributor, very positive flushing of the air within the distributor could be accomplished and very dense filter materials used which would contribute to the effectiveness of the ventilation and the filtering.

While the embodiments of the present invention, as herein disclosed, constitute preferred forms, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A filter for an internal combustion engine ignition distributor, said filter comprising: cup-shaped means having apertures therein and arranged to encompass an aperture formed in an area of the distributor leading to the high voltage area; second means integrally formed with said cup-shaped means for attaching said cup-shaped means to sides of the aperture in the distributor; and porous means carried between said cup-shaped means and said second means for trapping solid particles passing from outside the distributor into said cup-shaped means and preventing the passage of the solid particles into the high voltage area of the distributor.

2. A filter according to claim 1 wherein said second means is a tubular member having aperture therein to admit filtered fluid from the porous means and having resilient legs adapted to be pushed through the aperture in the distributor and grip the inside edge thereof.

3. A filter according to claim 2 wherein said porous means is polyurethane contained between said cup-shaped means and said second means so that all fluid passes through the apertures in said tubular member after passing through said porous means.

4. A distributor casing having a high voltage area containing apparatus subject to corrosion, said casing comprising: a hollow body in which high voltage circuits are switched and in which breaker camming occurs; openings from the hollow body to the atmosphere on either end of said body; and vent means in fluid cornmuication with said openings and including filter means disposed therein to remove solid particles from air passing through said openings from the atmosphere in either direction of flow through said body thereby allowing filtered air to flow through the area in which the switching takes place regardless of the direction of air flow.

5. A distributor casing according to claim 4 wherein said openings are hollowed out posts protruding from the non-driven end of the distributor and having filter material placed therein.

6. -A distributor casing according to claim 4 wherein said openings are apertures spaced around the base of the distributor high voltage housing, said apertures being covered by a continuous circular apertured cover carrying filtering porous material adjacent said apertures in said cover against said high voltage housing.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,248,594 7/ 1941 Wall 20019 2,920,717 1/ 1960 Tuttle et al. 2,945,430 7/1960 Slick 174-16 2,966,960 1/1961 Rochlin. 2,999,562 9/ 1961 Lechtenberg.

ROBERT K. SCHAEFER, Primary Examiner.

H. O. JONES, A ssis'tant Examiner. 

1. A FILTER FOR AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE IGNITION DISTRIBUTOR, SAID FILTER COMPRISING: CUP-SHAPED MEANS HAVING APERTURES THEREIN AND ARRANGED TO ENCOMPASS AN APERTURE FORMED IN AN AREA OF THE DISTRIBUTOR LEADING TO THE HIGH VOLTAGE AREA; SECOND MEANS INTEGRALLY FORMED WITH SAID CUP-SHAPED MEANS FOR ATTACHING SAID CUP-SHAPED MEANS TO SIDES OF THE APERTURE IN THE DISTRIBUTOR; AND POROUS MEANS CARRIED BETWEEN SAID CUP-SHAPED MEANS AND SAID SECOND MEANS FOR TRAPPING SOLID PARTICLES PASSING FROM OUTSIDE THE DISTRIBUTOR INTO SAID CUP-SHAPED MEANS AND PREVENTING THE PASSAGE OF THE SOLID PARTICLES INTO THE HIGH VOLTAGE AREA OF THE DISTRIBUTOR. 